The Escape
by xAstoriainmyDreamsx
Summary: It was hard to tell which was more important, the world screamed for dominance, but as they looked into each other's eyes it was difficult to hear anything but their breathing. GW/DM character death, one-shot


Inspired by Hanging Moon - KeeperoftheMoon0

The war was coming, they could all sense it, taste it on their tongues, but war couldn't change what fate had already decided, and war couldn't stop adolescents' tricks and schemes, and in no way could an impending war stop true love.

* * *

><p>She drew people. She had drawn her entire class, and was moving on to the class above her. She had drawn Harry and Ron millions of times it seemed over the years, and now she drew Hermione, Pavarti and Padma Patil, Neville, Lavendar, Dean, Seamus, Terry Boot, Hannah Abbott, and Blaise Zabini, and now it was his turn.<p>

So she drew him, captured his picture mentally at breakfast, and sat in her classes each day to try and capture his essence, his powerful aura. But she couldn't get it. She drew the sharp lines of his face, the paleness of his features, the strength of his lean muscles, the firmness of his always thinned lips. She even understood and portrayed that his lips were naturally fuller, but he never relaxed them enough for this to be obvious. She was proud of herself for observing this about him. She could draw the shape of his eyes, round, but hard and precise. His hair too, was simple, always sleeked back to perfection.

But his dark gray eyes dumbfounded her. She couldn't get them right. They held that power, that dominance, that pride, and this is how she drew them… but it always looked wrong. A drawing in the trash, another, another, 10, 20, 30; day after day and she couldn't get him. She decided to talk to him… alone.

He saw her eyes on him every morning, then every meal, then in the hallways. He didn't get it. Wasn't the girl to hate him? Why could she not take her eyes off of him? Why did she have to torture him like this? Had she found out? Did she know that he had watched her? That her beauty was something that even he, as a rich and well-publicized heir, had never seen an equal to? With her sharp red hair, her carefree spirit, her intense determination, her unendingly deep amber eyes, her unfailing loyalty, her… everything. What would she do to him once she discovered? Probably throw up, everyone knew that she hated him and he hated her… supposedly. And then she would try to find him. Capture him. Seduce him into telling her how he really felt; it wouldn't take much.

The more heavily he felt her watching him the more he made sure he was out of her sight; he came and went early at mealtimes, using her always casual lateness to his advantage. He was forever spending more and more time in the Slytherin common room, only escaping for his self-prescribed Quidditch practices. Then one day she was walking down to the pitch as he was flying overhead, he froze, and immediately flew for the entrance of the castle, refusing for her to find him.

Cornering him was proving to be much harder than she had originally calculated, it appeared as if he knew she had been watching him, and had something to hide. She grew more frustrated and took to waiting outside the Slytherin common room, knowing its location from a particularly interested Slytherin a year younger than she. She had always shaken off his disgusting advances, wondering why he didn't care about the fact that she was a blood-traitor, but now his information proved to be useful.

"She's waiting out there again sir," Gregory Goyle told him, much to his dismay, she had been waiting out there nearly 24/7 for a week. She must have a time turner to get to all of her classes, meanwhile he has been missing all of his, telling the teachers he had a mild case of spattergroit, and to let him stay in his room to prevent others from being infected. It wouldn't work much longer, Madam Pomfrey had threatened multiple time to come down there herself, but Snape wouldn't allow it. Snape was growing tired of covering for him though.

He mulled this all over in an ornate green and silver high backed chair by the fire, twirling his wand in his fingers. Suddenly there seemed to be quite a commotion coming from near the door.

"Oi!"

"Merlin!"

"You don't belong here!"

He barely blinked, recognizing that Snape must have consented to Madam Pomfrey's visitation, he resigned himself to a long lecture.

But the woman who came around to the front of him was not, in fact a woman, rather a girl, and instead of her hair being a mature white, it was a vibrant, lively red. She glared at him with her hands on her hips, the firelight radiating around her small but strong figure, giving it an even more powerful appearance. His eyes grew wide and a type of strangled cry managed to escape from his lips before he could control himself. The lazy, haughty expression was stolen from his face at her appearance.

"How-how-" he struggled to speak, then abruptly shook his head free of the shock and let a firm mask overtake his face. "How did you get in here?" He demanded, the pure authority of his tone ringing throughout the still shocked common room.

"Mangy Mudblood. It's a dreadful password you know." She stated matter-of-factly, allowing him to become accustomed to her presence before interrogating him for the secret behind his eyes.

_I know_, he thought, but didn't dare say, he was to hate Mudbloods after all. "How did you get it?"

"Cylferth Cuthbert."

"Cy? Why would he give _you_ the password?" He was trying to seem uninterested, but really he still couldn't wrap his mind around _Cy_ giving her the password, Cy _worshipped_ him.

She laughed. "Cy seems to have taken a fancying to me, it is quite endearing, but I'm afraid he doesn't interest me."

_Does that mean that I do?_ "So what in the name of Salazar do you want with me woman?" He was tired of being confused, and his breath was becoming harder and harder to draw in the longer she stood there in front of him.

"I want you to come with me, I have some questions for you, but it really is cold down here… Come on now!" Unexpectedly she grasped his hand and pulled her along with him. As they passed his fellow classmates Blaise Zabini smirked at him and mouthed, '_Whipped_.' Draco couldn't deny that, not to Blaise at least, but to her? He would deny until the earth swallowed him up.

She dragged him out into the sunlight, swallowing up that warm summer air after so long in those freezing dungeons. She was surprised he hadn't pulled himself out of her grip; she hadn't imagined it would work past the first step, but his hand was still in hers and she memorized the feeling, realizing that she had his texture wrong too, it was all much smoother. She brought him to the lakeside and threw herself down the shade of a large tree, finally letting go of him. He moved to sit next to her but she exclaimed in protest.

"You can't sit there! You have to sit in the sunlight, so I can see you." He gave her a quizzical look but once again obliged. She began to see that she didn't just have his eyes wrong, but _everything_. He was powerful, yes, but underneath he was cordial, _kind_ even?

"Again, what do you want with me?" The harsh light hit his eyes and he squinted.

"I want for you to open your eyes… and tell me about yourself," she couldn't understand his metallic eyes if they were squinted into oblivion.

He tried to open his eyes but the light was still too bright, he decided she was contradicting herself, and so moved into the shade of the willow.

"It is too bright there to keep my eyes open, I suppose you can see me plenty well in the shade." She frowned but allowed his movement closer to her. "About myself… I am Draco Lucius Malfoy, my favorite color is amber… I love Quidditch, and despise Charms class." She wondered about the things she hadn't previously known.

"Why do you "despise,"" she mocked his wording, "Charms?"

"It is excruciatingly bland, besides who needs to learn how to lift an object when you could Transfigure it into a bird, or when you could give it a weightless potion, or just quit being lazy and pick it up for yourself?"

She nodded, seeing the point to his argument. "I suppose that a large part of it is just extending our knowledge of the workings of magic, what it can do, where it has come from, and having a wealth of solutions to any one problem, maybe it is good to have multiple spells to get similar outcomes, just like have a large vocabulary is helpful."

He hesitated, making sure that he understood what she was saying before he spoke again, "I suppose I see your point, I do pride myself on my extensive vocabulary, but it doesn't make the class any less tedious."

She laughed, a sound he had hears before, but a sound he would never tire of. "No, I suppose that it doesn't, it's nice to have a bit of a point though isn't it?" He nodded, still caught up in the echoes of her laughter as the trees passed the beautiful sound amongst themselves, sharing the joyous noise. She moved on to her next question, unaware of his preoccupation.

"Why is amber your favorite color?" She asked. He shook his head slightly and looked up at her, at first not realizing her question, caught off-guard.

He hesitated… was that a pink tinge to his cheeks? Was Draco-The Draco Malfoy- _blushing_? No, no way, this she had to understand. She moved closer so that she could see his eyes in this vulnerable state, this might tell her something.

She moved closer… did she know? _Is she torturing me on purpose?_ Of course she was the reason for his favorite color, what else? Those eyes were beyond beautiful. And then she was too close, being too bold, her scent overtook him, floral and soft, but sharpened by the strength of grass and dirt, it intoxicated him. All thought left him.

The eyes were deeper than she could have imagined, she had never thought to draw in the guarded wall that was missing right now. But now it made sense, she would have noticed eyes as pure as his. She moved closer still, trying to see the emotions, embarrassment, struggle, fear, and then in what seemed like a wave of determination, lust and love just as they were closed against her scrutinizing stare.

"You," he mumbled as soft, full lips were immediately thrust upon hers. At least she got _something_ right about him. But she had never guessed this.

He threw his heart into the kiss, as his brain was obviously not present. He had known he felt for her, but as he opened this physical door, an emotional one was slammed open, and feelings he had never known he felt came tumbling out. He had kissed girls before, even ones that he actually felt for, but nothing had felt like this. It felt so right. Until he realized she wasn't kissing him back.

At first she couldn't move, couldn't think of anything other than his lips on hers, couldn't respond, she felt the information she had already collected from him slipping into nothingness. And then she was shaken awake, as he began to pull away. Something inside her screamed, on the verge of shattering at the thought of not kissing him, of losing this. She held on tightly to her sanity and her research, and kissed him fervently. She kissed Draco Malfoy… passionately. She felt his lips pull into a smile as she thrust her hands into his hair, rustling it from the powerful hold of magical gel. He put his hands onto her face and never wanted to let go. But as the realization that this was Malfoy, and that all she knew of him was his favorite color despite weeks of stalking, she pulled back, unoffended, but insanely curious.

She placed her hands on his sharp cheekbones, her slim fingers slipping perfectly into the dips and curves of his face. She placed one soft kiss onto those finally relaxed lips, and looked directly into his eyes, which did not open for some time.

When he felt he had pretended for long enough he opened his eyes, to find her amber ones still staring directly at him. He dropped his hands from her face and his eyes from her probing gaze. She lifted his chin back up with two fingers, her left hand still warmly and resolutely on his face.

"I don't know you… but I feel like I need to, and not just for this drawing Draco, that is what this was for, but now… now I feel like there is something vital missing right now, just because I'm not listening to your voice, not kissing you, not… allowing myself to feel as much as my heart is telling me to. You are making me even more reckless than normal, and I just learned your middle name, I doubt you could even fathom mine-"

"Molly," he interrupted, "Ginevra Molly Weasley. We both have the names of our parents. Your favorite animal is a horse. Your favorite place on the Quidditch team is chaser. You draw, wonderfully, but never show anyone anything, I doubt even all of your brothers know. You despise pumpkin juice, and because of that people think you are picky, but you will eat nearly anything but that. You wish that you weren't in the Hogwarts choir because you feel like you can't sing, but you can… I've heard it." He had fought his head back down to pick at the grass, but she was stunned. She had been stalking him, not the other way around… right?

"…How…. How do you know all of that? Only George and Bill know that I draw… and I only ever sing in the shower." At this she glared at him accusingly, he caught her eye with a twinkle in his.

"And in the middle of your morning run when you stop just at the edge of the Forbidden Forest to hear the birds, you sing along with them, I didn't listen in on your shower." He laughed at the thought. She smiled dazedly, he knew more about her than she knew about herself.

"Show me where you watch me from in the mornings then." She tested, not believing that he hadn't tried to catch her naked, after all, he wouldn't be the first. He grinned and got up, pulling her up behind him.

"It wasn't originally to stalk you, you know," Draco said conversationally. She scoffed. "It's true, I like to come out here in the mornings too, a bit earlier than you though, I like to watch the sunrise. One day I stayed a bit later, and you just walked right by my tree, singing the most beautiful tune, I don't know the name of it though."

"It doesn't have a name, I just sing whatever is on my mind that morning."

"That morning you said that you were lonely," Draco realized, he thought it had just been a song, it was good enough to be, but it was her feelings.

"I'm not now," she smiled squeezing his hand that she hadn't let go of since he had helped her up. Draco couldn't stop his next grin.

"So now that you know I haven't been too creepy-"

"-You've been beyond creepy, I know nothing about you and I have been stalking you for nearly a month now." Ginny interrupted.

"-Fine… now that you know I haven't been watching you shower-"

"I don't know that, I just know that you didn't lie to me about watching me run… which is creepy…"

Draco sighed impatiently, but a smile graced his lips. "Are you done?"

"Have you gotten it right yet?" Ginny winked at him. Draco growled playfully.

"I'll get you…" he threatened. She smirked and ran off.

"Only if you can catch me!" She yelled laughingly into the wind as she sprinted across the grounds. Draco ran as fast as his long legs could carry him, but she was fast. Still, he could tell after a few seconds that he was gaining on her a bit, but she didn't notice. As he neared her she remained oblivious to his closeness, never believing that someone could outrun her. Finally within reach of his target Draco lunged and brought them both to the ground, all the while making sure she wouldn't be hurt by the impact. Ginny screamed in surprise and amused irritation. They lay there panting for awhile, enjoying their entangled closeness after so many weeks of watching.

Once she had slowed her heart rate to normal from the work out and ensuing fright Ginny rose, realizing that they were now on the other side of the lake. She slipped off her flats and rolled up her trousers before approaching the sandy shore.

The warm sand felt wonderful against her tired feet, and she stepped even closer for the cool, soothing effect of the water. Just before the liquid reached her toe she looked back to lock eyes with Draco.

"You coming?" He stared at her in disbelief; him, Draco Malfoy, take off his shoes to wade in some dirty lake water with a blood traitor? But then he understood that was the main reason he wanted to so badly. Because this wasn't some blood traitor, this was her. And he knew that he would go to the end of the earth and back for her, no matter what. So he nodded and arose, slipping off his loafers as he neared her. She took his hand and led him to the water, they waded, and Draco felt the water wetting his trousers as they went deeper and deeper.

When they were both waist deep Ginny looked at him and smiled, Draco had only half a second between when he detected that malicious gleam and when she did it… she pulled his hand violently down and backwards, propelling his body into a sloppy flip, ending with his entire body soaked in the unclean water.

"You are a fast runner, it's true," she said as he resurfaced, "but no one gets away with outrunning me without paying a price." She allowed a dominant look to surface for a moment, before feigning innocence and looking around for water life among the reeds at his intense expression. "Look at the fish!" she exclaimed childishly, "They are so cute!"

He smirked and drew his wand, an idea quickly forming as she turned her gaze back to the water. "_Aquarine Mobilius_," he murmured, bringing a bubble of water containing a large bass from the water. "Look! I caught one," he feigned excitement, but Ginny was so overcome with awe that she didn't even notice how it came closer and closer to her, until she had to look straight up to see the boring fish. Draco let his wand fall.

"Draco!" She screeched, not believing that he had really just dumped gallons of water, and a fish onto her head. He laughed and dove headfirst under the water, swimming away as quickly as possible. This time, she caught him.

* * *

><p>They exited the lake some time later, thoroughly soaked and gleeful. They spell dried each other's clothes and went their separate ways, agreeing to meet in the morning before classes.<p>

They both fell asleep that night lighter than they had been in years, because for once, for just one afternoon, they had been able to pretend that the war wasn't happening, that there wasn't this much pain, fear, and worry. For those few hours they were just teenagers, and in those hours they had formed a bond strong enough to hold through the war. They were both prepared to do anything for each other, nothing else seemed to matter as long as they were together and safe.

For Ginny, her friends had all left her. All her elder siblings had run off to fight or hide, either way they were all probably dead. Her friends were all caught up in some insane martyr scheme, as if wounding themselves was worth fighting for a minute, even though they were only weakening themselves. She believed in the Order's cause, but thought that they were going about it in a terrible way. She didn't have any reason to even be a part of this war, the whole thing sickened her.

For Draco, the war was supposed to be everything, but thoughts of it made him feel empty, hollow, useless. If it were his choice he would run away with Ginny and they would be a part of the Muggle world until this all blew over.

And they did run away, every second not in class they were on the grounds or in the Slytherin common room, or Draco's room, or empty corridors. The Slytherins wouldn't dare spill that they were dating on threat of slow and painful death, and they couldn't bear to be apart. They ran in the mornings, she drew him again and again. As she learned more about what secrets those eyes held she understood them more, but there was never enough information to get them just right.

They never spoke of the war; they enjoyed pretending it didn't exist far too much. But even through their pretending that they didn't have a care in the world as long as they were touching, they understood how the other felt, and in their times apart, they both began thinking of ways to escape the battle that was getting closer every day. But as rumors and whispers of the Battle of Hogwarts grew louder, and expectations grew higher, they took to meeting at night, sleeping in his room to escape the words of war that swept through the houses. They held each other tight, only ever daring to be weak in front of the other. It was hard to tell which was more important, the world screamed for dominance, but as they looked into each other's eyes it was difficult to hear anything but their breathing.

Nights had always been hard for Ginny. She had enough trouble sleeping anyway, with her artistic mind always up and humming, she had always worried for those she loved most, a trait she inherited from her mother, and was never completely peaceful. So in order for her to fall asleep she had to completely let her guard down, and all of her deepest thoughts and feelings came out. Draco watched this with concern, he had never believed that such a spontaneous, childlike, bright girl could bear so much pain and weight on her shoulders. But the sight of her maturity did not make him turn away, rather love her all the more for her intense strength, he needed someone like that.

If Ginny was honest, she knew she should have realized how much of the world Draco carried around with him. The wall was up for a reason, but so much less when she was around. She knew this, but she also knew that he was holding back, refusing to let go completely, and this troubled her, she was sure that once he was really free they could both finally be eternally happy.

She needed to free him.

* * *

><p>One night as she lay snuggled into his chest she felt rather than heard him mutter a spell, she looked up to see the night sky reflected in his stormy eyes. On the ceiling was an array of stars, Draco began muttering the names, a light set into his eyes that she had rarely seen before, he was truly happy to study the stars… she'd always assumed his favorite class was Defense Against the Dark Arts.<p>

"Draco?" She whispered, suddenly having an idea.

"Yes, love?" His name was perfect on her lips, and she shivered happily at his pet name.

"How would you like to meet me at the Astronomy Tower, Saturday at 11:00?"

"A date?" He mused.

"Our first official one," she said quietly, because it was true, they had set times of meeting before, but normally for running or studying, or some such thing. Most times they didn't even plan their meetings, they just happened, and they never protested.

"I would love to." Draco replied as he kissed her on the forehead, eyes still on his conjured stars.

* * *

><p>Ginny began asking around about the best date ideas, she researched the Astronomy Tower, and all of its history, and she heard more and more rumors at every turn. The battle was looming, and they were ready to run away.<p>

Her strong sense of premonition outweighed all of the rumors though, she realized that she had unconsciously set their date for what was sure to be the very night of the battle, if they left early enough, they might not have to see it, to deal with it, to watch those they foolishly love be tortured to death.

* * *

><p>By Friday night Ginny had decided, they were going to have a picnic with an elaborate star chart for him to point out all of his favorites. Then they were going to jump off the tower.<p>

Ginny had read in Hogwarts, A History, that since children had tried to kill themselves off of the Astronomy Tower before, there was a magical force field like thing put in place, that stopped anyone who tried it, and alerted all of the teachers. Ginny couldn't think of a better escape plan.

The Daily Prophet came in the next morning saying that imposters had broken into Gringotts and stolen a dragon. The criminals were believed to be Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger.

* * *

><p>"It's beautiful up here," she said, leaning her head against his strong chest.<p>

"It is," he murmured, bringing his lips to the top of her head. "Thank you."

"You know, I bet the stars will be even easier to see from the countryside."

"The countryside? Well yes, I imagine that's true…"

"Shall we go there? Or maybe America, or Canada, or Australia, someplace beautiful and far away."

He laughed lightly to mask his confusion and nervousness. "When are we going there?"

"Tonight." It was simple, matter-of-fact, and it was what he wanted most, it just seemed so soon.

"Already?" He tried to make his voice sound casual, but his walls had always failed around her, ever since that first kiss, that first act of boldness.

She took a deep breath, now she had to divulge into the uncharted, the known but unspoken… the war.

"Yes, I fear that a battle will take place here soon, and neither one of us really wants to fight so…" She finished lamely, her fingers drawing clumsy lines on the back of his hand as her heart raced.

"True…and?" he admitted, stepping lightly at this unfamiliar topic. She relaxed, even though his calmness was forced, there was no anger behind it, only fear.

"And nothing, let's get out of here, we could move far away, you know how to Apparate, and I have done so a couple of times. We could move where the night sky has 20 million more stars than this, and we could be married in a Muggle church, we could pose as Muggles until the war is over, I know it is unsatisfying, but we could be together, and out of the war! And we could have children, and we could homeschool them. I would be an artist, or a baker if it pays better, and you-you could be anything you wanted to!"

Her thoughts were extravagant, the kind of future every girl wanted, but… it was also the kind of future he wanted. Freed from his overpowering last name, he could be anything. And he would be good at it. The thought of little Ginevra Molly Weasley Malfoys running around overjoyed him to the point of near bursting. It sounded so wonderful, and this beautiful woman had planned their escape together, she was going to make this possible.

He captured her lips in a fervent kiss, wanting some of this excitement that he was feeling to be felt by her, because even if it was only a portion, it would be enough to get them going.

"I love you Ginny Weasley."

"I love you too Draco Malfoy," she blushed in pleasure.

"So how are we escaping?" he asked. She blushed again, but this time from embarrassment.

"Well, I read that around the Astronomy Tower there is a field of magical force that prevents anyone from jumping off, it leads them safely to the ground where they are entrapped by four walls until one of the teachers who were immediately alerted comes to free them."

"Yes, in Hogwarts, a History, I remember that passage, but how does it help us? You can't use magic within the room's walls."

"The room is not a full room, it has no ceiling, and there are some old school brooms on the ground where I have reason to believe the spell will take us, we will fly off the grounds, leave the brooms by the gate, and DisApparate to our future together.

"A teacher will immediately go down to the walls on the grounds, but another will come up here, to investigate the situation. I have a note written here in our picnic basket, which we will leave on top of everything before leaving." She finished, proud of her plan, Draco had to admit that he felt completely safe with it. She grabbed a corn muffin and split it between the two of them as he continued to think about it.

"When are we leaving then?" He asked, wiping the crumbs from the messy food off of himself.

"Now," she said, removing her shoes as she had that first afternoon and walking to the edge of the balcony, getting on top. "Come on, and make sure to put the note on top of the basket."

Draco did so, and slipped off his obstructive shoes to stand on the cool stone wall to stand beside his love.

"I love you so much Draco, this will be the perfect beginning to a wonderful new life."

"Ginny, there is absolutely no one I want to spend that life with other than you, you are my everything, and I love you more than I can express." Their lips met, and they gripped each other lovingly. Ginny lifted her legs to wrap around his waist, he moaned, and they fell.

In that moment of freedom, every wall Draco had fell too, the stars above him, his love in his arms, and his future looking bright and wonderful; Ginny looked into his eyes and could finally see why her drawings were all wrong. Draco wasn't meant for any setting other than this, and he wasn't meant for any person besides herself. Before she could allow the wave of fierce guilt to overtake her, she told herself what she knew firmly, this was the answer, leaving this world behind was the only way to truly live. And then, the world was gone.

* * *

><p>Professor McGonagall was trying very hard not to become frantic, Potter had some <em>thing<em> to find, and he didn't know where it was, and he didn't know what it was. The Death Eaters were coming, Snape was a bloody coward, and she desperately needed someone who could always keep a calm head. She needed Dumbledore.

But Dumbledore was dead, and so many things had changed since he had been here.

She fought fiercely all through the night, as members of the Order joined her, as students passed into her sight and back out of it. But it seemed as though there was someone missing.

The dawn came with dread and discouragement. Harry had disappeared sometime ago, and they were all at a loss for what to do. McGonagall helped Madam Pomfrey make rounds to all of the injured, people milled about, wondering, wishing, hoping, praying, bringing the injured and the dead.

About thirty minutes after sunrise a scream echoed through the grounds, it didn't say a name, didn't sound like a Death Eater at all. It just sounded purely agonized. And in the seconds that followed, several other screams could be heard, someone important was dead.

_Who_? Was all Professor McGonagall could wonder as she strode quickly and purposefully towards the sounds.

A circle was gathered beneath the Astronomy Tower, an image all too much reminding McGonagall of Dumbledore. As she pushed her way through many most unusual sights caught her eye.

First, there were Death Eaters grieving among this crowd, and Slytherins, and Gryffindors, and Hufflepuffs, and Ravenclaws.

Second, nearly everyone's cheeks were glistening.

Third, the groups of hugging mourners:

Fred and George Weasley

The three eldest Weasleys

Hermione Granger and Pansy Parkinson

Ron Weasley and Blaise Zabini

And possibly the strangest of all:

Narcissa Malfoy and Molly Weasley, the two mothers forever in battle, were now mourning together, over…

Draco Malfoy and Ginny Weasley

No.

Dumbledore had told her that an unlikely pair would get together and that they would end in tragedy, but McGonagall had thought maybe an unwanted pregnancy, or a family banishment at most, but this? These two?

_No_.

In the weeping mothers' tears McGonagall could see the justification of their closeness,

'If they could do it, so can we.'

The couple was broken and all their limbs were twisted out at odd angles. Beneath them lay a pile of twigs that appeared to be broken broomsticks. In Draco's eyes was a glow that none of them had ever fathomed him having, except for his own mother, who had seen it once before:

_Draco was just a child, barely old enough to lug around the small broom, but he jumped on it, excited about this new toy of his. He kicked off the ground with skill, a natural. He soared into the air, trying to search out the stars, he told his mother. She watched him from the ground, his eyes alight with laughter and joy and childhood. Lucius saw that expression too, and ordered Draco down at once, the four year old boy was banned from his broom for a month just for showing so much expression. Ever since then Draco had always had walls, guards to keep others out. His father was proud of him, but his mother had always longed to see it again. How cruelly ironic that she should see it here now, gracing his forever cold countenance._

Ginny was staring right at Draco, love and sorrow raining from her stilled face, she knew she had done right, but would never forgive herself.

McGonagall was overcome with emotion about this whole thing, and suddenly she knew that she had to get to the Astronomy Tower, now.

Focusing on the key to unlocking the Apparation defenses McGonagall turned on her heel and appeared atop the tallest tower in Hogwarts. There lay a picnic basket, a blanket underneath, shoes and socks, and a note addressed to '_Minerva McGonagall_'

With shaking hands the wise witch unfolded the note, not willing to believe that a child had known so much as Ginny Weasley did, but as the letter went on McGonagall discovered than in no way was Ginevra Weasley a child. She had borne as much hurt as any of them.

_Dear Professor,_

_I, Ginny Weasley, am terribly sorry to inform you that Draco Malfoy and I have taken off to a foreign land to wait out the war, I know that a battle is coming tonight, I can feel it, Harry is coming back, he is near now, as I write. We have always had a strange connection, Harry and I, when I was young I mistook my feelings for him as romantic, but they never really were. Harry… I believe that Harry is my twin, I have unidentifiable memories of happiness with people other than the Weasleys, and I never hear about my birth how unlikely is it that I have these, even before I was possessed by Tom Riddle. Lily Evans had long, red hair, and James Potter had hazel-amber eyes like me. I am intelligent like Lily, and reckless like James. How likely is it for me to be born a female Weasley? That hasn't happened in generations. Besides, I always feel ahead of those in my year, like I don't belong with them. And I can always tell whether Harry is in trouble, or near, or far. I have talked with Fred and George about the twin-sensations they are always talking about, and they are similar to how I feel with Harry. But Harry really has little to do with this, I just am aware of a coming battle._

_By the time you read this I will be gone, and the battle will be nearly over, but not completely. Harry will have felt me die, and will probably face Voldemort alone for it. The fool. He'll come back though, I'm sure of it. _

_Now the plan is for the barriers to be in place, rather, that is what Draco will know. And if this is so then I will see you soon after the war. More likely than that though, is that they disappeared when Dumbledore died, allowing for him to fall. I doubt that you have put them back into place, no doubt not knowing the spell, and, seeing that the last person to kill themselves off of this tower, or attempt to, last tried over a hundred years ago. Please don't take blame for this. This is all my fault._

_Draco can't handle the stress of this war, he doesn't know which side to take, where his loyalties lie, I take the blame for that. I refuse to fight, because I see no point in it, this is not something I want to fight over, this is Harry's fight, and Draco is mine. Also I have come to the conclusion that this exit is the only way that Draco will let himself go, I need to see him without walls, and I know that here, falling to his new future, is the only way it will happen, and so I selfishly ask that you capture that joy in his eyes, somehow. I wanted to draw it, but I obviously can't now. But for his sake too, I wanted him to be able to feel that again, as I know he felt before his hideous father showed him who he was supposed to be. He was supposed to be mine. I know now that Draco was always to be mine, and I was always to be his. _

_Another thing I expect to come out of this is unity. The Death Eaters will be caught up in battle and scheming, leaving Narcissa Malfoy alone to find her wonderful son. My adoptive mother will be next, and from what I have heard of Narcissa, and learned from Molly, they will comfort each other, bringing an end to this war with less pain than necessary. With Narcissa comes Lucius, and with Lucius come Crabbe and Goyle, and with them come more, until Snape surrenders too and Voldemort is up against all of the wizarding world alone. This is how it should have been done from the beginning Professor, from the inside out, not trying to push through their defences with a small and weakened army. _

_Tell them all that we loved them, and that we, the happiest people on earth these last months, were able to escape from the war into nothing less than true love…_

_Signed,_

_Ginevra Molly Potter Weasley Malfoy_

_Ginny_

_P.S. Professor, I know you aren't a fan of drawing, but I know for a fact that you can paint. Would you mind terribly painting our last moments? With Draco happier than he'd allowed himself to be in over a decade as we sailed through the air, expecting a cushioned landing at the end?_

Why Ginny sacrificed so much for a war she didn't even want McGonagall will never understand. But what McGonagall seemed to understand almost by pure instinct was that the only reason Ginny was willing to go through with this was because she believed that there was more, she did not expect her time with Draco to end, only her life. McGonagall wept with the now close mothers, and all was as Ginny had predicted, that woman could read people better than even Dumbledore.

Harry came back, believed to be dead, but he came back and the fight was still on, but as Death Eaters heard Narcissa tell the story of Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy, the couple that would forever lie in the other's arms, a unity came to the side of the Order, and soon Voldemort was left with no Horcruxes, and only Bellatrix Lestrange on his side. From then the battle was history. Lives moved on and on the first year anniversary of Ginny and Draco's death Minerva McGonagall submitted a painting to art associations everywhere. She had found the wadded and discarded sketches that Ginny had done, as well as the portraits of so many Hogwarts students. McGonagall had also found note papers tied together crudely to make a sort of diary, where she documented findings of the people she was drawing, she had pages of notes about Draco, some factual, some romantic, all full of love. McGonagall put all of these together as well to submit as an exhibit. Ginny Weasley made millions of galleons, her work was craved everywhere. McGonagall got so many requests that she nearly had to quit her teaching job, but decided to invest in a time turner instead.

Draco and Ginny were buried by the lake, next to Dumbledore, their gravestone said, "_Draco L. Malfoy and Ginevra M. P. W. in each other's arms, forever believing._"

**A/N: Still working on that other story, the end just doesn't seem right, I'll get it though. This was on my mind, and inspired by KeeperoftheMoon0's Hanging Moon. I wrote this in a day and then had it sit in my mind for a week, but didn't know what else to do… Constructive criticism is much appreciated**

**xAstoriaInMyDreamsx**


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